Spreader for pneumatic tires



H. P. KRAFT. SPREADER FOR PNEUMATlC TIRES.

' APPLIICATION FILED NOV. 15, 1920.

Patented Sept. 20,1921.

INVENTOR H'l/rmj 7 1 2,

BY I

afiuz/bm QMAK 5 ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY I. KRAFT, OF RIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY.

SPREADER FOR PNEUMATIC TIRES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 20, 1921.

Original application filed June 15, 1917, Serial No. 174,865. Renewed September 7, 1920, Serial No.

408,772. Divided and this application filed November 15, 1920. Serial No. 424,094.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY P. KRAFT, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in Ridgewood, in the county of Bergen and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Spreaders for Pneumatic Tires, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to spreaders or bridge washers such as are used in pneumatic tires of the clencher type in association with the air valve at its connection with the inner tube of such tires.

Such spreader is applied at the inner end of the pneumatic tire valve and engages the inner sides of the pneumatic casing or tire shoe to prevent creeping and to assist in holding the shoe in place on the rim. Such spreaders have the function of bridge washers (so called) in that they bridge over a portion of the tapering space between the shoe beads so as to lift the valve at its.attachment closer toward the tread of the tire and thereby afford room for the clamping of the inner tube to the tire valve. It is common to form the spreader with side flanges which conform to the sloping sides of the beads of the shoe and thus more ef' fectively hold the shoe beads apart. In the following description the term spreader will be used as equivalent for bridge washer, it being understood that the inclined side flanges are desirable but not essential to the present invention.

The present invention relates particularly to spreaders which are made of thin metal and are preferably stiffened by means of corrugations. The purpose of the invention is to afford a strong and resistant connection between the spreader and the tire valve. To this end a ring of thick and rigid metal is applied to the spreader at the tire valve opening and is fastened rigidly to the spreader so as to form essentially a part thereof. This reinforcing ring is fastened directly to the hub portion of the spreader.

The drawings illustrate suitable embodiments of the'invention.

Figure 1 is a transverse section of the vehicle wheel with its felly, rim, tire shoe, inner tube and tire valve;

Fig. 2 is a plan of the spreader;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal mid-section of the spreader Fi 4 is an enlarged transverse section of the spreader and reinforcing ring, separated,

the section being in the same plane as Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a plan and transverse section of the reinforcing ring.

Referring to the drawings, A is the felly, B the wheel rim, C the'tire shoe having the usual beaded flanges C which are held in the clencher flanges of the rim, D the inner tube and E the shank or casing of the tire valve herein claimed, being set forth in my application No. 155,821,,filed March 19, 1917.

The spreader bears at its narrowed ends against the rim and its middle portion is bowed or arched upwardly as shown in Fig. 3. This aflords room for the clamping nut G which screws on the threaded exterior of the valve shank to clamp the inner tube tightly against the end flange or foot H of the tire valve. This valve is customarily formed with a reduced neck I between its threaded portion and the end flange; and the valve shank is also flattened on opposite sides as shown to give it a non-rotative engagement with the spreader. To accomplish this the spreader is made with its opening a with flattened sides 6. Thus the tire valve is held from turning when the usual clamping nut J is screwed up.

The spreader has its lateral sides turned up to form side flanges K K which lie flat against the inclined inner faces of the beaded flanges of the tire shoe; as stated above these are preferable but not-necessarily essential to the present invention.

When the spreader is'made of thin metal, some difliculty is encountered in providing a stable connection with the valve shank and a proper bearing for the clamping nut G. In the construction shown in my said application No. 155,821, the'spreader is struck up around the valve opening a to form an elevated boss or hub between which and the foot flange H the inner tube is clamped. This leaves a recess on the opposite side which receives the clamping nut G. According to the present invention the corresponding recess is filled with a reinforcing ring L of relatively thick metal. This ring L is shown separately in Fig. 4.

it receives somewhat snugly the circular exterior of the reinforcing ring L, the latter being of such thickness as to fill the recess about flush. The reinforcing ring is held-in the recess by a clenching operation of any suitable kind so that it is confined reliably in' place.

According to the present invention the struck-up portion 0 of the spreader is formed with an inner flange or neck g which extends downwardly to the full depth of the recess and within the hole in the ring L;-

after the ring is in place this flange g is swaged outwardly so as to embrace a portion of the inner face of the reinforcing ring and hold the latter firmly in place. Since the hole a is flattened on opposite sides, it is desirable that a snug fit be made on these sides with the flattened sides of the ring, which precludes any clenching attachment to these flat sides; accordingly the ring is formed with tapered surfaces 72. at only the rounded ends of its opening, these tapered faces being engaged by the swagedout neck 9 as shown 1n Fig. 8.- This construction is a very simple one, the use of a separate ring-washer being avoided; to this end the upper face of the boss formed by the struck-up hub 0 is formed with concentric corrugations as is customary in ring washers (the construction thus being comparable to that'set forth in my Patent No. 1,199,907, dated October 3, 1916).

The construction of spreader provided by the present invention is very stiff, light and strong. It is also very cheap, being produced by resorting'to the usual stamping and cupping operations. Freedom from rusting may be secured by galvanizing or otherwise coating the parts either before or ,nular projection or boss on one side and a correspondmg recess on the other side, and

a reinforcing ring filling said recess and fastened thereln by engagement with an integral part of the spreader. 2.- A tire spreader of sheet metal formed around the tire valve opening with an annular projection or boss on one side and a corresponding recess on the other side, and having an integral inner flange projecting within said recess, and a reinforcing ring filling said recess and fastened therein by means of said inner flange.

A. tire spreader of sheet metal having a flattened central openingfor the valve and formed' around said opening with an annular projection forming a boss on one side and a recess on the other, and having an integral internal flange surrounding said opening with flat faces on opposite sides,

and a reinforcing ring formed with flat faces on opposite sides of its opening and with bevel curved faces, and said inner flange turned outwardly at its curved portions to engage said bevel faces and hold the ring in said recess.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

HENRY P. KRAFT. 

